I was doing too little blogging last week and going to too many required holiday functions. In most cases the food was less than stellar and the company was not making me feel very merry. I’m not much on enforced work fun, it can be worse than dining with your least favorite relatives.

But starting today I’m on vacation for a week. So that’s got me singing holiday songs and craving some home cooked food. This is the first Christmas that it’ll be just the two of us. And rather than feeling let down about it – I’m ecstatic! I can catch up on some writing (about 10 articles), knit some bday presents (4 Jan bdays – ack), and get into an exercise routine.

No, I’m not trying to do much on my vacation…ok maybe I am – only time will tell.

With food prices rising, you can pick up some of the slack with coupons. There may not be as many coupons for organics, but they are out there. You just have to do some leg work.

Make sure to look where you shop. At your local co-op and/or Whole Foods stores you’ll find some coupons right in the stores. Since they focus on organic and natural foods, you can usually find coupons for the products you really use. Whole Foods usually has some store-only coupons in their brochures that advertise the specials of the month.

Don’t forget the free magazines at the registers either. Mambo Sprouts and Delicious Living often have great coupons in them that you can use at any store that accepts coupons. Sometimes you can find the product on sale and many regular grocery chains double coupons for an added bonus. Delicious Living also has a page on their website that links to printable coupons, so make sure to check there before you take your trip to the store.

Manufacturer websites are another place to find coupons. Some people also have luck emailing customer service with praise and asking for some coupons. Amy’s sent me some awesome coupons this way.

Turtle Mountain’s sign-up will get you some of their non-dairy frozen dessert coupons by mail.

Stonyfield Farm also has some tons of yogurt coupons online for you to print out.

And Brown Cow also has coupons on their site, if they are your favorite brand.

Take Earthbound Farm’s quiz and they’ll send you a $1.00 off coupon for any Earthbound Farm product.

While Seventh Generation doesn’t make food, they do have great green cleaners and coupons. Another site to sign up with is HealthESavers. They change the coupons monthly, and right now they have a .75 off coupon for Tofurky.

Keep track of how much money you save and the amount of time that you put in. I think you’ll find it’s really worth your while.

Today I finally feel better. Woo hoo!! I think I caught a head cold in the middle of my virus and it wasn’t pretty. I have tons to catch up on, and I want to get the house cleaned and decorated. Then I can stop holding my breath and get in the holiday spirit 110%

Still not feeling great and craving comfort food. I’m also cutting down on my daily calories and that makes things even harder when you don’t feel up to making a meal from scratch. So today’s recipe is a simple one, but it makes a ton and it also freezes well.

The slow cooker saves me in so many ways – and when I’m sick it cooks for me while I take a much needed nap. I love my slow cooker…

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup – serves about 8

1 bag of split peas (I think it’s about 2 -3 cups)

2 bay leaves

1 potato, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tb dried thyme

1 tsp liquid smoke

about 7 cups filtered water – make sure there is at least two inches of water over the other ingredients.

Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours. Puree with an immersion blender and serve with homemade croutons on top. Yum!